Marshall's own total is 5,000 or so beyond the accounting I could find, and fan votes count only a third. Still, Marshall does seem to be leading all AFC receivers, including Randy Moss, who is clearly the standard in these things.

Not that evidence is obvious lately, but Marshall is one of the best receivers in the AFC, or in all of Football, come to that. If he needs the public vote to convince himself, it is harmless enough.

Champ Bailey is leading all cornerbacks, though he shall miss a huge chunk of the season, and Jay Cutler trails only Brett Favre at quarterback, with a chance to reverse that by beating the Jets in New Jersey on Sunday.

These three seem to have the best chance, or the most deserved, in any case, to represent the Broncos in Hawaii. They would, by extension, define where the Broncos fit in the NFL pecking order, if only wins and losses actually count.

Impressions are formed by these things, and that can be both good and bad. Consider that Dallas had 11 Pro Bowlers last year and San Diego tied New England with eight, naturally raising expectations for this season.

Most preseason predictions, including my own, I believe, had the Cowboys and Chargers meeting in the Super Bowl.

San Diego has turned into oatmeal, and Dallas has only lately seemed to be what it was supposed to be. Tennessee, arguably the best team in Football, had only two players named to last year's Pro Bowl, and the Super Bowl-winning Giants only one.

It might also be pointed out that John Lynch was added to the Pro Bowl roster but could not make it out of Broncos training camp.

The point here is that Marshall might keep track of his votes with less enthusiasm, since, in the end, all it means is another game and a free Mai Tai.

The Pro Bowl is the least watched of all of the sports all-star games, though I do not have the actual numbers for hockey or soccer.

Still, it is one of those things that seems to exist for the resume of the participants (and their contract bonuses) and not for any interest or enjoyment of the fans. Even the voting has lost all meaning.

More often than not, once voted in (coaches and players get the other two-thirds of the voting), Pro Bowlers try to figure how to get out of actually going to the game.

Of the 25 NFL Hall of Fame candidates just released, every one is prefaced by the words "Pro Bowl" and the number of times he was there.

Support for Terrell Davis may rest on how he compares as a three-time Pro Bowler to Roger Craig, the only other running back on the list, who was there four times.

Davis had fewer Pro Bowl appearances than any of the other semifinalists. Guard Randall McDaniel, mostly with the Vikings, and Bruce Smith, a defensive end for Buffalo, had the most, with 12 each.

Certainly, Shannon Sharpe would seem to be a lock for the Hall, not just because he made eight Pro Bowls. Sharpe would be only the eighth tight end, and his numbers are far and away better than any tight end already there.

If early voting is to be believed, the Washington Redskins should be unbeaten and spotting points, since, of the 26 Pro Bowl positions, the Redskins had the lead in 20 - eight on offense, eight on defense and four on special teams.

The reaction to an online voting campaign by the Redskins is not one of dismay but of envy. Fans in every town are urged to copy the Redskins and vote for their team's players, rather than the best players at each position.

Broncos fans may join in the common fraud, dismiss conscience and scruples and load up on Elvis Dumervil and Ryan Clady and Dre Bly and the rest.

With just a little effort, we can make this whole thing as meaningless as it actually is.